WBCG’s strategic approach to transport corridor wellness

STAFF REPORTER – In order to address the impact of HIV/AIDS and other communicable and non-communicable diseases along the major transport corridors in Namibia and beyond borders, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group (WBCG) through its health and wellness initiative is supporting the efforts of the ministry of health and social services by implementing a high-impact and strategic health and wellness project that aims at reducing HIV infections and mitigating its impact on mobile, key populations and affected communities around cross-border sites and identified hotspots.

To date, the WBCG wellness initiative has achieved significant results in terms of reaching out to traditionally hard to reach and highly vulnerable populations with HIV testing and treatment services as per the country’s National Strategic Framework on HIV/AIDS response.

“We are constantly venturing toward creating demand and improving access to services for key populations such as sex workers, mobile populations, specifically long-distance truck drivers and the surrounding border communities in Namibia”, says Edward Shivute, project manager: wellness services.

With an established network of roadside wellness centres across the country, the Wellness Service project works in collaboration with the ministry of health and social services and other development partners including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) project, Society for Family Health (SFH), Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), North Star Alliance, and the Namibia Transport and Allied Workers Union (NATAU), NANASO and other civil society organisations and the transport and logistics industry.

“The objective of this initiative is to remain persistent in growth and foster smart partnerships to ensure evidence based results. Hence, WBCG is keen to expand and strengthen its stakeholder relationship base,” Shivute explains.

“Our long-standing relationship with the ministry of health and social services has culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding that allows for the sharing of resources to support expansion of programmes through the current health services to reach more Namibians with health services.”

Shivute further explains that through this support and concerted efforts with local stakeholders, the WBCG advocates for and facilitates sustainable HIV/AIDS and employee workplace wellness initiatives.

“These smart partnerships also aim to provide technical assistance and strengthen the capacity of WBCG in order to enable it to effectively facilitate the response of HIV/AIDS and other general wellness conditions within the workplace and along the Namibian major transport corridor routes”.

“The ultimate goal of this project is therefore to improve and leverage public-private partnerships and as a result, create sustainable health interventions in the Namibian private and public sectors,” he says.

Wellness where it matters

The roadside wellness centres are strategically and conveniently located along the transport corridors and in highly vulnerable communities to provide critical health services to transport operators and the communities they interact with.

The facilities are established in prefabricated containers and attend to the health needs of the mobile populations and to aid public and private stakeholders to reach critical mobile and key populations at the heart of major health and safety issues.

The current clinics are located in Oshikango, Katima Mulilo, Walvis Bay and Windhoek and are open from 08:00 to 17:00.

Occasionally they are open after hours when the mobile populations are resting for the night and therefore have time to seek health services such as; HIV testing and counselling services, HIV treatment and care services, pre-exposure prophylaxis, STI screening and treatment, risk reduction counselling, social behaviour change and communication tools, basic primary healthcare, blood pressure testing, blood glucose rapid testing, cholesterol rapid testing, haemoglobin rapid testing, TB testing, referrals to voluntary medical male circumcision services and basic primary health care services such as family planning and treatment for minor health conditions.

An electronic health passport system links all of the centres so that treatment information can ‘travel’ with the clients.

In line with national guidelines, WBCG also focuses its strategies to more high-impact interventions such as implementing the “test and treat” model as part of a provider-initiated strategy.

The immediate initiation of all HIV-positive clients on anti-retroviral treatment and/or provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative clients will ensure that many Namibians are able to live longer and healthier lives regardless of their HIV status.

As part of its many achievements, the WBCG’s wellness services received recognition at the first national AIDS conference held in 2016. The initiative was awarded the best institution to provide employee and community based wellness services within the Namibian private sector.

“The recognition reiterates the importance of the contribution that the WBCG is making towards the provision of health and wellness services within the transport and logistics industry,” Shivute says.

Looking forward to the future and considering the limited financial resources in the country, the project is developing sustainable strategies to ensure that health services can continue adding significant value to the national health programmes in Namibia.